The notion behind the volumes is nearly as exciting as the music within this mix-tape series, put out by the collectors/digital archaeologists at SahelSounds.com of Portland, Ore., over the past year and a half.

There are dozens of determinants that comprise a great rap album. You can boil it down to beats and rhymes, charisma and hooks, voice and ideas, concepts or relatability. Or you can couch it in terms of expectations: Great records should inevitably be sonicall

Mariachi El Bronx: What happens when a hard-core band decides to pick up traditional mariachi instruments and charro suits? The Bronx did just that in 2009, to the astonishment of fans and critics. Call it sweetly ruminative music with a bit of edge.

The evolving duo Calle 13 embraces a diverse musical world at the House of Blues in Anaheim. The dream of a unified Latin America has been an obsession of conquerors and revolutionaries from Hernán Cortés to Che Guevara and Hugo ...

Adanowsky’s album, "Amador," debuts in the U.S. this week. It’s a velvety affair infused with creaky barroom pianos, gentle guitar strums, and Jodorowsky’s smoky, Gainsbourg-like croons that waft along like a cigar plume. The intimate album, sung in Spanish an

Amnesty International's Bob Dylan tribute benefit album features 76 tracks by more than 80 artists. Listeners can find a variety of ways to sample the artists who salute Bob Dylan to benefit the human rights organization.

The first Los Lobos Cinco de Mayo Festival will take place May 5 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Los Lobos has wanted to do a community-oriented music festival for many years, founding member Louie Perez said.

Los Lobos' 1992 album "Kiko" will have a deluxe reissue in August to mark its 20th anniversary. Also coming is a DVD and Blu-ray release of "Kiko Live," from a 2006 series of concerts in which Los Lobos performed "Kiko" in its entirety.